Dawn stumbled blindly beside her mother, mewling for food. She hadn't eaten in days. Her mother snorted and walked faster, making Dawn run faster. Her tiny paws didn't leave marks on the ground as her mother's did, and her legs were too short to run as fast as her mother. Her golden mouth opened in another pitiful wail. Her mother glared at her. She snapped her mouth shut, and tried to keep up with her mother. Her paws ached, but she didn't complain. She looked at her mother. Her mother's ribs were visible, poking out from her silver pelt and the three scars running down her side. She'll feed us if she can. Dawn sighed, and pulled the memory out.

"We're going somewhere dangerous, somewhere so far away your paws will ache and your stomach will rumble. You will need to use all your talents, because if I go hunting and don't return....you will need to fend for yourself." Claw mewed to Dawn. They were crouched in a twoleg den filled with hay, but stale in hay and scent. Dawn shivered, scared to lose her mother.

"I understand."

Dawn shook herself out of the memory, and looked at the ground as they walked. A scent hit her nose, making her stop in her tracks. A cat scent? Dawn sniffed the ground, and her mother stopped, and looked at the sky. Dawn lifted her head to do the same. The sky was a deep orange/pink color, with a few white puffy clouds spread out, just barely covering the bright orange sinking sun. Beautiful. Dawn thought. Her mother sniffed the air, then started to walk some more.

"Hungry!" Dawn wailed. Her mother looked at her with sympathy in her eyes.

"I know, but we can't hunt here. I promise your hunger will be sated soon. You'll be safe soon." Her mother waited for Dawn to catch up before continuing. Why didn't she say we? Dawn wondered as they walked.

They had been walking for a while whe Claw stopped. Dawn tripped into a pile of leaves, and growled in frustration. She poked her head up, and a brown leaf was stuck to her head. Her mother flicked the leaf off, and picked Dawn up by her scruff. Dawn squeaked as she was set down on the ground. She looked up at her mother.

"I'm going to hunt, and I promise when I see you again you will be full. Okay?" Her mother's eyes were filled with sorrow. Dawn tumbled the words around in her head, confused by the wording.

"Uh....sure." Dawn meowed.

"I love you. I love you so much." Her mother picked her up again, and placed her in a bush inside the line of scent. "Goodbye."

"Bye! Have good hunting! I love you too!" Dawn chirped as her mother backed up. Her mother's tail was dragging on the ground as she padded away, head hanging. Dawn wondered how long it would take.